The digital edition of video games magazine Game Informer is now available, with an exclusive 18 pages (and cover) dedicated to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V, so a whole swathe of details about the game are now known.

To begin with, the Los Santos-based open game world is the biggest the developer has created yet, even bigger than in Red Dead Redemption. There are three protagonists that you get to play and, using a brand new game mechanic for this title, you even get to switch between characters during missions through a pull down menu. Jumping from character to character could even be essential in some cases, as one of the others may be in a better place to take a shot, for example.

The three leads include Michael, a former bank robber in his early 40s who has been forced out of retirement for the money. There's another in his early 40s, Trevor, a career criminal and frequent drug user. And the trio is completed with Franklin, a mid-20s repo man who's the street hustler of the bunch.

As well as an enormous game world, Rockstar is introducing the widest variety of vehicles in a Grand Theft Auto game to date. There will be BMX bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, dirt bikes, helicopters, planes, ATVs and jet skis. And the number of different trucks and cars available will be much greater than before. One of the characters, Trevor, is also an ex-military pilot, so you can jump straight into aircraft and fly them.

There's plenty of extra information, screenshots and interview material in the December issue of Game Informer, which is available on PC/Mac, iPad and Android now. A new trailer for GTA V will be available from 14 November.